Mbappé scores and assists after penalty miss to send France into World Cup semifinals

Kylian Mbappé put a missed first-half penalty behind him to score and assist as France defeated Morocco 2-0 in the World Cup quarterfinals on Thursday, sending Les Bleus into the semifinals for the third consecutive tournament.

Mbappé’s 60th-minute finish — a precisely placed shot just inside the far post after Morocco failed to clear — was the 20th goal of his World Cup career, coming in his 20th match at the tournament. It moved him to within one of Argentina captain Lionel Messi’s all-time record. Six minutes later, Dembélé added a fifth goal of his own tournament after Mbappé drew defenders away to create the space for the shot.

“There’s only one way to relax, and that’s by winning. Until we’ve done that, we don’t let up,” Mbappé said after the match. “We’re in the semifinals and we’re very happy, but there’s still a long way to go.”

The evening was not without concern for France. Mbappé was substituted in the 77th minute after taking a heavy challenge from a Moroccan defender and was pictured on the bench with an ice pack on his right ankle. He allayed fears quickly, however, running and jumping in celebration with teammates after the final whistle.

“I took a knock to the ankle, but I’m fine,” he said. “At that point, JP [Jean-Philippe Mateta] was in better shape than I was to play the final minutes.”

France coach Didier Deschamps was measured in assessing his side’s run to the last four, deflecting credit toward his squad. “It is a confirmation of how we’ve played so far,” he said. “Having great players. Excellent players. My credit goes to the players. But maybe I do my job well. The only truth is the one on the pitch.”

Dembélé was equally effusive about his captain’s response to the penalty miss. “He’s our captain and he has an incredible mentality,” the winger said. “We’re expecting even more goals from him.”

France dominated the contest, holding a 21-4 advantage in shots on goal. The result mirrors their 2-0 semifinal victory over Morocco at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when the Atlas Lions became the first African nation to reach the last four of the tournament.

With the win, France remain on course to become only the third nation in history to appear in the final of three consecutive World Cups. They will face either Spain or Belgium in the semifinals in Dallas on Tuesday.